1st Anniversary Gift

October 19, 2005 4:33 PM

It's my one year wedding anniversary and I’m struggling with what to get my wife. I know the traditional one year anniversary gift is paper, what are some creative interpretations of that?
posted by tichance to grab bag (21 comments total)

A big, big box stuffed with... crumpled paper?

It'd be a laugh at least. Especially if there was an actual gift buried somewhere in there.
posted by five fresh fish at 4:35 PM on October 19, 2005

The traditional gift for a first anniversary is paper, but the modern one is "clocks".

Would she like a nice watch?

Or, my husband is eyeing an alarm clock for Christmas that has an iPod dock in it...would that be a possibility?

Engraved stationary is a nice gift, and there are some really cute and funky makers out there. It seems that letters are a dying art and I hardly ever use letter paper anymore, but I use note cards frequently. And I'd love some personalized recipe cards, since I like to cook.

A handmade journal might be a nice gift, with a good pen.
posted by padraigin at 4:39 PM on October 19, 2005

Plane tickets.
posted by AwkwardPause at 4:41 PM on October 19, 2005

The origami boulder or some fine origami paper with an easy to follow book of project ideas, or any book, really.
posted by leapingsheep at 4:41 PM on October 19, 2005

There are a bunch of suggestions here.
posted by amarynth at 4:42 PM on October 19, 2005

I recently asked the same question prior to our first anniversary. I did a small ad in the announcements/engagements section of the local newspaper. It was a short love letter with one of our favorite wedding photos. She flipped out when she saw it. She was just tickled pink. Bonus points for me: I became the premier Romantic Dude among her friends and co-workers.
posted by DakotaPaul at 4:45 PM on October 19, 2005 [1 favorite has favorites]

D'oh!
posted by DakotaPaul at 4:46 PM on October 19, 2005

An octagigamultitude of amazing things can be printed on paper.
posted by fire&wings at 4:49 PM on October 19, 2005

Oooh, now DakotaPaul gets DOUBLE bonus points!

That's a totally sweet idea.
posted by padraigin at 5:02 PM on October 19, 2005

Money was tight our first year, so I gave my husband several books, a homemade coupon book (good for head massages, a day as his errand girl, breakfast in bed, etc), and a booklet listing 365 reasons (yes, a year's worth - and this takes some time) "why I love you."

He gave me a gift certificate for a prenatal massage (we're expecting our first) and put together a scavenger hunt (with a funny or romantic card for each clue) that took us through the city in which we were married, including stops for appetizers at our rehearsal dinner site, a dance at our reception site's ballroom, etc.

I also love DakotaPaul's idea of the newspaper announcement - that's a new (and wonderful) one!! I think tickets for a sporting event/show are also a good idea -- and if you have the money to spend, plane tickets to a surprise romantic destination would be a real winner!

Good luck - and happy anniversary!
posted by roundrock at 5:13 PM on October 19, 2005

The traditional gift for a first anniversary is paper, but the modern one is "clocks".

If your wife is Chinese, I would avoid giving her a clock. The phrase 'to give a clock' sounds exactly the same as the word 'to send someone off' (as in funeral).

Stick with paper (traditional is still in). Make it fun for her and uber romantic. Good luck!
posted by cup at 5:27 PM on October 19, 2005

My wife was in the hospital after delivering our son, and I gave her a microwave cookbook. "But we don't have a microwave!" "We do now." It's what she really, really wanted, and I got brownie points for being romantic and clever.

Kenmore is a good brand. 13 years later, it was working fine when she took it with her after fucking a "friend" of mine.
posted by phrits at 5:51 PM on October 19, 2005 [1 favorite has favorites]

Paper clock kit! And you can make it together so it's paper AND clocks AND a date!
posted by librarina at 6:46 PM on October 19, 2005

Walt Disney Pictures presents ... "Blank Check."
posted by user92371 at 7:36 PM on October 19, 2005

I know! Make a collage of meaningful images! I'd love that myself. Or a buy/make a paper mache animal (her chinese sign? her favorite animal? a giant penis?) and fill it with something she likes. Happy Day!
posted by smartypanties at 7:43 PM on October 19, 2005

Tickets to something you both like.
posted by brujita at 9:17 PM on October 19, 2005

Engraved stationery is just lovely. Crane's has tradtional designs as well as some surprisingly hip newer ones -- if you have a Crane's or a decent stationery store in town you end up flipping through some huge books that show size/colors and motifs.

The single-sheet cards are supposedly the most useful since they don't necessitate long missives and can be useful for brief thank-yous or short screeds. I like the fold-over notes. If you take this route, keep it simple -- the salmon initials on thick cream paper are just dandy.
posted by mdiskin at 4:25 AM on October 20, 2005

The traditional gift for a first anniversary is paper, but the modern one is "clocks".
Sorry to derail slightly, but does anyone know how the modern list came about? I ask, because it just seems really really bizarre, and utterely unromantic. For example, year 4, - appliances, 7 - desk sets.
posted by chill at 5:49 AM on October 20, 2005

We had no money on our first anniversary (just bought a house), so I told my husband not to buy anything. He made me some pretty origami things (a couple tulips, a dove and a crane) from bright-colored sheets. I like the idea that someone above had about giving the book and some sheets, if you have more money than we did.
posted by dlugoczaj at 6:05 AM on October 20, 2005

I gave my husband a tree, which is sort of like "future paper that got a pardon". It's great because it will always be there growing and looking nice.

(It's an apple tree, the symbol of love.)
posted by nekton at 8:43 AM on October 20, 2005 [1 favorite has favorites]

phrits, man, that's horrible.
posted by shoepal at 2:07 PM on November 21, 2005